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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stock — goods
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. press — to push
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. press — newspapers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com